Australia with its advanced dental technologies, diverse patient populations and stringent ethical standards, offers international dentists a remarkable platform for professional growth.
But more than that, working as a Dentist in Australia opens doors to an opportunity where every day brings new challenges and opportunities to make a difference in the lives of patients.
It’s essential to recognize the pivotal role played by regulatory bodies like the Australian Dental Council (ADC) and Australian Dental Board.
These institutions are the guardians of dental excellence, ensuring that practitioners meet rigorous standards to safeguard the health and safety of patients.
Table of Contents
Main Steps in the Process to Work as a Dentist in Australia
| Step | Details |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Clear the English Language Proficiency Test (IELTS OR OET) |
| Step 2 | Initial Assessment Process |
| Step 3 | Written ADC Exam |
| Step 4 | Practical Exam |
Step 1 – English Language Proficiency Test
The ability to communicate effectively in English is not just a practical necessity in the dental field but also a vital aspect of patient safety and quality care.
Common Exams: IELTS and OET
Two prominent English language proficiency exams are commonly accepted by Australian dental authorities:
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
- Occupational English Test (OET).
1. IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
IELTS is a globally recognized English language assessment, assessing your language skills in four key areas: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
It’s important to note that the General Training version of IELTS is typically required for healthcare professionals, including dentists.
Specific Scores for Dental Registration: To meet the English language proficiency requirements for dental registration in Australia, candidates often need to achieve a minimum overall score of 7.0 on the IELTS General Training exam.
Each of the four sections (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) is assessed on a scale of 0 to 9.
2. OET (Occupational English Test)
Unlike IELTS, OET is specifically designed for healthcare professionals.
It assesses your English language skills in a healthcare context, ensuring that you can effectively communicate with patients, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals.
Specific Scores for Dental Registration: OET scores are determined on a scale from A (highest) to E (lowest), with A being the benchmark for most healthcare registration authorities in Australia.
To meet the English language proficiency requirements, dental candidates typically need to achieve at least an “A” grade in each of the four sub-tests: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
Choosing the Right Exam and Preparation
Selecting the most suitable exam depends on your comfort with the exam format and your confidence in the healthcare-specific language skills assessed.
It’s essential to prepare thoroughly for either exam, as achieving the required scores is a non-negotiable step in your journey toward dental registration in Australia.
Step 2 – Initial Assessment Process
The initial assessment delves into critical aspects of your dental career, such as your professional qualifications, work experience, registration history, and standing in the dental community.
It’s a meticulous process that ensures that candidates meet the prerequisites necessary for pursuing a dental career in Australia.
The process basically involves getting your degrees, credentials and all documents assessed and verified.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Educational Qualification | Hold a four-year, full-time dental degree or diploma from a recognized university. This foundational requirement underscores the importance of having a strong academic foundation in dentistry. |
| Registration History | Have held full and unrestricted registration or licensure in either your home country or the country where you received your dental training. This condition emphasizes the need for a clean professional record with no history of registration withdrawal. |
| Duration for the process to complete | Approximately 8 weeks for completion (may increase if information is incomplete) |
| Cost | Application Fee: $628 AUD |
| Validity | The results are valid for 7 years |
1. Create an ADC Connect Account:
- Begin your journey by creating an ADC Connect account. This digital platform will serve as your interface for various stages of the assessment process.
- Click here to create your ADC account on official website
2. Identify Your Application Type:
- For dentists there are three options: initial assessment for registration, skills assessment, or both.
- You need to choose the option which includes Both Registration and Skills Assessment .
- You need to choose the Only Skills Assessment option if you have an eligible general dental qualification from UK, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand or Australia itself.
3. Complete Your Initial Assessment:
- Dive into the initial assessment by providing comprehensive information about your educational background, work experience, and professional history.
- Accuracy and completeness are essential at this stage.
- All documents must be clear and submitted in .pdf, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .docx, .doc, .tif, or .tiff format.
- If documents are issued in a language other than English, provide an official English translation.
| Required Documents |
|---|
| 1. Current Passport |
| 2. Recent Passport Photo- Passport photographs must be clear and uploaded as a .png file. |
| 3. Evidence of Change of Name (if required)- If Applicable, evidence must be a legal change of name document, issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages, or an official change of name by deed poll |
| 4. Dental Qualification, Official Certificate, or Testamur |
| 5. Academic Transcript |
| 6. Internship Certificate |
| 7. Renewed Registration Certificate |
| 8. Two Written Professional References |
| 9. Experience Certificates |
4. Arrange for Your Certificate/Letter of Good Standing:
- You must arrange for a certificate/letter of good standing to be sent to the ADC.
- This must be sent directly from the organisation responsible for regulating dental registration or dental licence in your country of practice in electronic and hard copy formats.
- Letters of good standing received before you submit your application submission are valid for 3 months from the date of issue.
- This document attests to your ethical and professional standing in the dental community.
5. Receive an Initial Assessment Outcome and Apply for Australian Visa:
- Once you receive your Initial assessment report you can proceed to apply for the Visa Process
- Click here to apply on the website of Australian Home Affairs
Step 3. Written examination
If you meet the eligibility requirements a written examination application link will appear on your ADC profile when the application period opens.
Bookings will be open for approximately three weeks from the date of your Authorisation to Test email. So you need to apply within 3 weeks of receiving the email that you are eligible to apply for test.
Complete your application and pay the associated application fee.
Your ADC profile will also be updated confirming your written examination.
Click here to login for choosing test dates and venue.
| Overview | Details |
|---|---|
| Examination Schedule | It is held twice a year in March and September at various test centers worldwide. |
| Eligibility | Successfully completion of a valid initial assessment. |
| Timeframe | The entire process from the application period to the release of results is approximately 5 months. |
| Cost | $2,060 AUD. |
| Validity | A successful result in the written examination is valid for a duration of 3 years. |
| Exam Pattern | 2 day computer-delivered, multiple-choice question examination Consists of four 2-hour examination sections (2 sections each day) with each section consisting of 70 scenario-based multiple-choice questions. Total 280 questions (4 sections of 70 questions each.) |
| Result | Declared in 6 weeks |
Exam Pattern of ADC
The exam questions are divided into 4 main clusters
- Cluster 1: Professionalism and Heath Promotion
- Cluster 2: Clinical information gathering
- Cluster 3: Diagnosis and management planning
- Cluster 4: Clinical treatment and evaluation
To pass each cluster, you must meet the standard of the minimally competent recent Australian dental graduate.
- Grades A and B indicate a Pass in the cluster.
- Grades C and D indicate a Fail in the cluster.
Given below is the subject weightage for each cluster.
| Dental Examination Content Areas | Percentage Weightage |
|---|---|
| Dental Emergencies | 7% |
| Endodontics | 8% |
| General Medicine (inc. Medical Emergencies and Special Needs Dentistry) | 9% |
| Infection Prevention and Control | 5% |
| Oral Medicine and Pathology | 9% |
| Oral Surgery | 8% |
| Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics | 8% |
| Pain and Behaviour Management | 7% |
| Periodontics | 8% |
| Preventive Dentistry | 8% |
| Radiography | 5% |
| Removable Prosthodontics | 6% |
| Restorative Dentistry (inc. Fixed Prosthodontics) | 12% |
Step 4. Practical Examination
If you meet the eligibility requirements, a practical examination application link will appear on your ADC profile when the application period opens.
Complete the application and pay the associated application fee.
You will receive an email with your practical examination schedule approximately four weeks before your examination.
ADC will supply the materials and equipment you need for the practical examination.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Successful, Valid Written Examination |
| Duration | 2 day exam |
| Exam Centre | All practical examinations are held at only one centre the ADC Examination Centre at Melbourne |
| Timeframe | The entire process, from the application period to the release of results, typically spans 4 to 7 months. |
| Cost | $4,635 AUD. |
| Validity | Valid for lifetime |
The practical examination has two main components:
1. A technical skills day-
focusses on the demonstration of procedural restorative skills on typodonts.
Procedures
- tooth preparation of a carious tooth/teeth
- the restoration of a prepared tooth/teeth with resin composite
- the restoration of a prepared tooth/teeth with amalgam
- the preparation and/or temporisation of a tooth/teeth to receive an indirect
restoration(s) - an endodontic procedure.
2. A clinical skills day-
assesses a broader range of clinical skills using a station-based objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) format.
- clinical information gathering-taking a history from a simulated patient
- explaining a diagnosis and management plan to a simulated patient
- establishing a risk profile for a simulated patient
- communicating a health promotion strategy to a simulated patient
- managing a medical emergency in a simulated environment
- taking intra-oral radiographs for a given clinical situation
The practical examination results will be released via ADC Connect approximately six weeks after your examination date.
After you successfully complete the practical examination, you will be awarded an ADC certificate. This certificate confirms your eligibility to apply for registration with the Dental Board of Australia.
Learn more about Dentistry in other countries
How to Apply for DDS in USA : A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Systematic and Concise Roadmap to being a Dentist in Canada after BDS
FAQs
Can I give ADC exam from India?
Yes you can give the online Written ADC exam from India but you need to go to Melbourne, Australia to give the practical ADC exam.
Is ADC exam easy?
Adc exam is considered to be one of the most difficult exams to clear,but your determination and hard work will make it acheivable.
What is the total fees for ADC exam?
The fee for Initial assessment is $628AUD.
Fees for ADC written exam is $2,060 AUD.
Fees for Practical ADC exam is $4,635 AUD.
Is BDS degree valid in Australia?
The degree is valid but you need to complete a four stage process to work as a dentist in Australia.
What is the salary of a Dentist in Australia?
The average salary of a Dentist in Australia is $262,700 (AUD)/yr as per reports by Salaryexpert.
Conclusion
Your journey to finding work as a dentist in Australia is indeed a challenge, but it’s richly rewarded.
Keep your goals in sight, stay informed, and nurture your passion for dentistry. Your contribution to Australian healthcare is a story waiting to be written—one that begins with the decision to embark on this remarkable journey.